Ben Affleck is set to star in and direct 'Animals', a crime thriller he is reviving after a previous iteration stalled. Originally intended to star Matt Damon, with Affleck directing, the project from Artists Equity and Netflix fell apart last year due to screenplay issues.
Those issues have been resolved, but Damon has moved on to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which begins filming this month. Gillian Anderson, known for The X-Files and The Crown, has now joined the cast. Production is expected to begin in Los Angeles this April.
The film, with a Connor McIntyre screenplay with Billy Ray’s revisions, centers on a mayoral candidate and his wife whose son is kidnapped. Facing many political enemies and other foes, the couple is forced to take matters into their own hands to rescue their son.
Affleck is also producing the film with his Artists Equity partner Damon, alongside Dani Bernfeld.
Affleck has a history of directing and headlining films like The Town, Argo, Live by Night, and Air. Anderson’s upcoming projects include Tron: Ares, and the Netflix series The Abandons.